Which Budget Monitors Please?

A

AfxTwn

New member
Hi everyone, I have a pair of M-Audio AV30 speakers and they have been fine for a few years now but I am in the process of getting a new PC and some software and so want to also take the opportunity to upgrade other items in my home studio/living room lol.

I do find the AV30's can be a little lacking in bass (despite the bass boost switch on the back) but this could be possibly because I have them on a low level (between 11 o'clock and midnight on the knob at the front). I can't really play my speakers loud due to living in an apartment and not wanting to disturb my neighbours (something they don't reciprocate). Normally I do most of my mixing and general listening on my Audio Technica ATH-M50 headphones but I also like to have the speakers too, especially when playing something to people.

Anyway, I have a budget of around £300 and wondered what would be the best thing to get. I'll be connecting them to my new Tascam M-164UF mixer/audio interface. Can I get anything at this price that will be sufficiently defined and have enough bass without needing to be turned up high?

Thanks.
 
Top pick around here seems to be the JBL 305 or 308 sets. Others prefer the Adam A7s. There are plenty to choose from, and my top pick from listening to a dozen different sets just over a year ago was, honestly, Behringer's B2031's. I ended up in a higher budget range and got M-Audio M3-8s instead, but they really did sound good.
If you have a local shop that will allow you to open box return, you can try several sets and trade them in for others. Take good notes and you end up with what is best for your environment.
Happy Recording! :D
 
BroKen_H said:
Top pick around here seems to be the JBL 305 or 308 sets. Others prefer the Adam A7s. There are plenty to choose from, and my top pick from listening to a dozen different sets just over a year ago was, honestly, Behringer's B2031's. I ended up in a higher budget range and got M-Audio M3-8s instead, but they really did sound good.
If you have a local shop that will allow you to open box return, you can try several sets and trade them in for others. Take good notes and you end up with what is best for your environment.
Happy Recording! :D
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Adam A7Xs are £375 each. Did you mean a different model?
 
Sorry, my bad. Been a year since I did this and listened to a lot from $200 ea. to $400 ea. Sometimes models get confused...it was the F5s that I was listening to maybe. I honestly don't remember and don't know where my notes are. I know I wasn't impressed with the Adams I listened to and got blown out about it...:) Anyway, chime in with other options.
 
Thanks very much Broken for the suggestions, I'll have a look. I suspect the Adam A7's are a discontinued model as I can only find the more expensive A7X model available. I can't really get to any local dealers as they're quite far so trying out various models and returning etc isn't really an option, plus the few shops I do know of seem to have quite bad attitudes (like asking you not to try out any of the equipment in store, and they wonder why everyone buys online instead).

Do monitors have a burning-in period like headphones do? Just wondered if they get better over time as that might also inhibit the first-impressions scenario.
 
I think all speakers have at least a little. It took a while for the woofers on my M3-8s to get rolling and let the bottom end through right. And now that I've got the volume issue sorted, I really, REALLY like them (they're 220W each in my little 10x12.5' studio...SPLs well over 110 when I first set them up).
Two of the most important aspects of picking your speakers are room size and port configuration. Room size is majorly important when considering how much wattage (and more importantly SPL) you're going to have to deal with. You want your woofers to start kicking some air to get the good response when mixing, but you don't want to have 100+ dB going to get there. If you have a bigger room, increasing the space between your ears and your speakers will reduce the SPL.
Port config is very important as rear firing ports will require bass traps behind them for accurate response. Front ports will need bass trapping behind YOU for accurate response. Makes a difference to the layout of your trapping. Most recommend trapping all the corners anyway. I have front port near fields (Rokit 5's) and rear ported mid-fields (the M3-8s), but the wall behind me has a door directly in both corners. Bass trapping went at the ceiling behind me instead of in the corners.
Hope this helps.
 
Yes that definitely helps. I'm probably going to be moving soon (sometime in the Summer) so I will have to take into account what the new room and layout will be like. At the moment I have my PC/music studio setup in my lounge in the last third of a rectangular-shaped room (far-right side of the room). I sit about 2.5ft from my PC monitor and the speakers themselves are either side of that, so I don't really need to crank the volume up to be able to hear them.

I have seen a lot of people use the Rokit 5's and other Rokit models, they seem to be the brand of choice. I do like the look of the M3-8's too. I think the best thing is to wait til I've moved and got settled before I get some new speakers. So many things to take into consideration when getting audio equipment lol.
 
BTW, the Rokit 5s are not so great. Harsh cut-off around 70Hz. I also had Rokit 8s and they were marginally better. My wife has them on her gaming computer now...they DO have some decent bottom end. I use the 5s for a second listen on my mixes and to add mid-range when watching Netflix...
 
"Do monitors have a burning-in period like headphones do? "
"Have you stopped beating your wife?! That first quote has lost you a teensy bit of kudos with me Afx...Heh! No matter, it is a big subject that has been debated to death in several forums. There has only been, so far as I am aware, only the weakest, subjective evidence that quality transducers need to "burn in".

If I might say, at your present location your monitor requirement seems paradoxical? You want more bass but do not want to upset the neighbours? Bass is THE hardest thing to contain and probably more annoying than outright wide band egress!

However, yes, move first. Then when you start looking for monitors again budget for a sound level meter, a perfectly serviceable "C" scale meter can be had for under £20. Read Mr Massive's treatise on Monitor Calibration and no, you don't HAVE to run at an 83dB average SPL but it is vital to know "where that is".....In fact it would not hurt to get the meter now and have a do!

The judgement of bass levels is after all VERY level sensitive, FM curves and all that swaddlin'

Dave.
 
Hi Dave, ok I probably did show my naivety when asking if speakers have a burning in period but I'm not massively experienced with monitors and if you don't ask, you won't find out! I agree that my requirements are paradoxical and perhaps it's better to try and limit the amount of bass (which is why I don't use a sub) as oppose to overall volume/other frequencies.

I do have an SPL meter actually (an analogue Silverline 50-126dB) but I might get a digital one as it's easier to read. Anyway, I will have a look at the article you mentioned and have a fiddle about but I don't want to go too overboard and over-analyse something that I can't really fix. There are a lot of factors going into sound treatment for my house (or future house) and realistically as making music is more of a hobby than anything else, I don't want to spend a fortune trying to acoustically treat my room etc (not that you suggested that). I will always have the problem of thin walls and close neighbours so all I am trying to do is get a decent sound without disturbing everyone else.

If all else fails I can always say that the poor sound from my room and budget setup is a choice and adds to the oeuvre of the music, if anything I am ahead of my time lol.
 
Burn in period for electrical parts is snake oil peddled by charlatans, but the speaker cones will take some time to unstiffen through use (not sure if that has been mentioned above).
 
jonny deep said:
Burn in period for electrical parts is snake oil peddled by charlatans, but the speaker cones will take some time to unstiffen through use (not sure if that has been mentioned above).
Click to expand...

Well, I am REALLY not getting into all this again but....Speaker manfcts have spent over 5 decades trying to make stable cones with repeatable quality and it ain't easy!
To think a few hours use of a component that could last 20+years could (or should) change is to my mind nonsense.

This assumes the speakers is always used well within its design rating, a situation under complete control in an active monitor at least.

"Springs" do not "wear out" which why Mercs regularly manage 1/2 a million miles.

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
Well, I am REALLY not getting into all this again but....Speaker manfcts have spent over 5 decades trying to make stable cones with repeatable quality and it ain't easy!
To think a few hours use of a component that could last 20+years could (or should) change is to my mind nonsense.

This assumes the speakers is always used well within its design rating, a situation under complete control in an active monitor at least.

"Springs" do not "wear out" which why Mercs regularly manage 1/2 a million miles.

Dave.
Click to expand...

My hifi speakers (B&W), bought in 2011, came with a statement in the manual that the sound would take some time to settle as the cones break in.
 
jonny deep said:
My hifi speakers (B&W), bought in 2011, came with a statement in the manual that the sound would take some time to settle as the cones break in.
Click to expand...

Yes well, this is the market that uses PTFE insulated wire in something that will never get above 45C and charges $1000+ for a mains cable!

If I were to pay $5000 for speakers I would expect them to be bang on specc' on day one and stay that way for at least 10 years.

I do not discount that there is anecdotal evidence or that certain transducer makers make such statements (but at least as many don't) . I see it as a bit of an excuse for poor QC!

Dave.
 
AfxTwn said:
Hi Dave, ok I probably did show my naivety when asking if speakers have a burning in period but I'm not massively experienced with monitors and if you don't ask, you won't find out! I agree that my requirements are paradoxical and perhaps it's better to try and limit the amount of bass (which is why I don't use a sub) as oppose to overall volume/other frequencies.

I do have an SPL meter actually (an analogue Silverline 50-126dB) but I might get a digital one as it's easier to read. Anyway, I will have a look at the article you mentioned and have a fiddle about but I don't want to go too overboard and over-analyse something that I can't really fix. There are a lot of factors going into sound treatment for my house (or future house) and realistically as making music is more of a hobby than anything else, I don't want to spend a fortune trying to acoustically treat my room etc (not that you suggested that). I will always have the problem of thin walls and close neighbours so all I am trying to do is get a decent sound without disturbing everyone else.

If all else fails I can always say that the poor sound from my room and budget setup is a choice and adds to the oeuvre of the music, if anything I am ahead of my time lol.
Click to expand...

Oh! Don't mind me A! If you stay here you will see that I have a few hobby horses!

Keep the analogue meter. Calibrating the monitors is a very simple and you are reading a steady(ish) state pink noise source so actually a needle is easier to read than flipping digits!

And no, I shan't give you a hard time about room treatment. Most of us have to live with what (and who!) we have and RT is something that is probably only useful if done "to death"?

Dave.
 
Hmmm...maybe my experiences are psychosomatic. MODS! Where is my :maniacal laughter: emoticon? Still waiting.
 
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